Daniel's Perspective

 No one knew where the earthquake had come from or why the world began shuddering and cracking at the seams. Smoke billowed up from where a few buildings had been leveled, but the worst of it came from the villagers.

Women and children screamed and ran in every direction, even the hive mindedness of the group aimed for the town's exit, as if the earth would calm down if they left. Though, surely many of them had no idea what tectonic plates were or why the ground could rumble so fiercely.

Their fear creates friction within the thread of our reality's fabric.

They pull and strain, aching and ripping themselves apart.

I tried my best to stay away from catastrophic events, I did everything I could to escape this very sensation.

But Iridian had brought me right back into the heart of it.

Something told me from the beginning I would be running through hell and back at her side. Forced to live with the overwhelming force of my guilt. The aunt I'd never met, the aunt I never knew I had.

Yet not even a drop of our blood would be the same.

The earth screams now because she does.

I just left her there.

It doesn't take long for the strange witch to come bustling out of the apartment a few yards forward, her claw-like grip holding a young silhouette tightly. Meika's black hair flashes in the sun for only a moment before she draws the hood of her cloak up tightly over her head and attempts to vanish in the crowd.

Remi struggles and huffs behind her, trying and failing to writhe away and get back to the apartment.

But it's not safe here anymore...

I wonder if the ancient woman had known what would happen when the two of us left into the night. Even as dawn peaks over the buildings and hints at the coming day, she seems unyielding, unwavering. As if this very moment were calculated.

Violet eyes scan every individual human being as if time had frozen in her assessment. Her focus lands on me, body stilling when she notices that I'm alone.

Her lips part, whispering a short, concise word.

Meika's eyes narrow into a command, ordering me to follow her.

I miss the alert panic in her gaze when my focus shifts back to the tavern. My name faintly echoes in the sea of screams, startling me to push off the ground and bolt after her, despite the impulse I have to seek help.

"Daniel! Move!"

Iridian had spoken of a Witch leader named Tamsin, explained her kadence to be unique and thoughtful compared to the many experiences she'd had throughout her lifetime.

She'd described a tall, thin woman with black hair long enough to hang someone. At the time the picture in my head was laughable, especially at the mention of a sneaking smile and her slight of hand. Now all the information seems infinitely more useful.

I wish I paid more attention to the lengthy list of customs Ira had gone on about, but at the time I figured I'd meet one over her dead body.

If only she'd told me more, said more about what those women told her that night.

A defeated expression is all I could see and prying answers would only come from a corpse or so I'd learned over these months.

Something broke in her that night, something decided she wouldn't win with or without Lindon at her side. Heartbroken enough to take me with her, even if that could've made the situation a million times worse.

Perhaps it had.

I smell my blood before feeling an ounce of pain, pale steel carving through my chest and sticking out on the ground in front of me. A shining arrow with pale blue blood seeping into the ground.

The loudest scream is all too familiar.

Remi thrashes out of Meika's grasp and tears through the crowd. Her knees scrape against the ground as she slides in front of me, hands grabbing fistfuls of my jacket on either shoulder.

"No... No, no, no... No you don't, you don't get to die," she chants, frantically searching for anything she could use.

Instead of acknowledging, I cough and feel a thin line of blood run down my chin. I look for the ancient words, a sign of lethality, but it's nothing more than an arrow with my blood on it.

"Daniel, you have to get up! We have to go. Now."

My arms are throbbing. Logical, war-like thinking controlling my movements.

I can feel them watching me.

My siblings, those of Fate descent watching me from high above, wondering what I will do next. If I will pretend to fall. If I will cower and run or turn back to destroy them all.

I can feel their baited breath like the game they'd just begun.

Another arrow sings for the girl and I yank her into my chest. Ringed curls of hair shove themselves into my mouth and nose, the faint smell of fear and dawn blending together. Remi's whole life could've been different if she didn't find herself in the middle of all this chaos.

Rising to my feet, I carry her out of the city's large gates by the waist. She resists on account of the injury, but her words melt away.

It's just another battlefield.

It's just another war.

Roughly sending her into Meika's arms, I nod at them both.

"I have something to take care of," I say, meeting the Witch's eyes.

Her brows furrow, looking me over. "We need to go find Lindon, that's our only hope right now Daniel. Going back in there is a fools errand. Neither of you should've left in the first place. Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"Where is she, damn it!"

My jaw clenches and I shake my head. "I don't know. She made me escape. Made me leave without her. She's Kiel's captive now. But I need to go back inside?"

"What on earth could you possibly have to do in there?"

Taking a deep breath, I focus on the scared people pouring out of the city. Most of them find family and friends, though I'm not sure what fleeing does for anyone. If the building collapses, everything for several miles will be leveled.

But I still feel eyes on the back of my neck.

"Whether it's looking for allies or killing my siblings, I'm more useful inside than out. If you want to leave and find Lindon without Iridian - which frankly sounds impossible since he's somewhere at the bottom of the sea - be my guest."

Remi whines softly, trying not to cry, but it's Meika whose eyes flare in frustration. "What allies?"

"Stay here," I snap, turning my back to them.

"Do you really think you can do everything all by yourself, Daniel?"

The thought really stings. Of course not, but there is no delegation. Not when Theron isn't here to look after Remi.

"Who's going to watch her?"

"I'm not a child!" Remi yells, twisting and slamming herself out of Meika's grip. "Both of you need to leave me the hell out of this. I get it, I'm pretty freaking useless, but the least you could do is not rub my nose in it constantly! I'll stay out here, I'll swear it on whatever you want, but for crying out loud stop treating me like a child."

I blink in surprise, watching Meika straighten her jacket.

We both share a look, nodding for a moment.

"I'm sorry Remi... For everything we've put you through. Stay safe, okay?" I say softly, aiming to take a step forward.

She waves in dismissal, turning slightly to head for the group. "Just go, don't die. I'm mad at you, but I don't want you going anywhere, understand?"

I just nod. It's good enough for her to fall away and slink into the people so wrought with fright and sadness.

The Witch brushes shoulders with me and heads into the gate, something I'm quick to note is the look on her face and the way she slips a dagger into her hands effortlessly.

"So what's the plan?" she asks, pulling out another much smaller knife as an interesting way of duel wielding. "Why are you so desperate to get your ass handed to you?"

"I just couldn't leave her behind again..." I mutter, looking out towards Theron's grave and then beyond it towards the horizon line. "It's happened too many times before."

She gives me a lasting scrutinizing look. "What are you talking about?"

Shaking off the thoughts, I turn back. "Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"I don't understand?"

"Do you want to go on a killing spree or ruffle some witches feathers?" I rephrase, smirking a little bit.

What I didn't expect is her blanching and looking as if death had finally come to meet her.

"What did you just say to me?" she stutters, looking in every possible direction. "I... Are there... Here...?"

My face gets uncomfortably hot and itchy as I try to scrub some of the cry blood off. Numb, be it because of the shock or energy filling the air, the pain will surely haunt me later.

Meika's features shift from simple doubt to terror in a matter of moments.

"Where?" She asks, mumbling things to herself and spinning in a full circle as if expecting the final blow to come any moment. "Where are they, Daniel?"

"Iridian... She said she'd spoken to a Coven Leader in..."'

"She did what-!"

My finger finishes the sentence before I have the chance, pointing towards the oddly clean and untouched Tavern a few blocks south of us.

"Are you expecting me to believe that she just waltzed in and expected to speak with someone from the High Council, someone so lethal, any being would falter to go with open invitation? Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe she-"

Another arrow arks down, aiming straight for the panicked woman's spine. I steal her wrist and pull her away quickly, looking up towards the sky again.

She shuts up in a daze.

I take a deep breath and look at her. "This is not the time or the place, Meika. You must decide now. Who do you prefer to take your chances with, because I sure as hell do not want to die tonight, do you understand?" She blinks at me slowly, staring from my hand on her arm to the blade forming in my other hand. "Do you understand?"

A deep calm washes over her again and she nods.

"Handle your siblings, I'll enter the Tavern. I know what must be done."

Thank you all for coming!

 As you can see, I welcomed you into the mind of one of our lovely characters, Daniel. He is a long time coming and many of your guys' favorite character, so I hope you enjoyed the show. 

I hope everyone is doing well and I love you all dearly. Stay safe everyone!